BY ANN GRISWOLD  /  1 APRIL 2016

Roughly 7 percent of children with autism eventually lose their diagnosis, swapping social problems and language difficulties for more typical skills and behaviors. But it is unclear whether this transition is associated with a return to typical brain function or reflects a compensatory process.

Terms like “low-functioning” are short on nuance and long on stigma.

It’s clear that Alex and John each function well in certain areas of life and struggle in others; each has an idiosyncratic patchwork of skills and challenges. Their stories illustrate a problem that has plagued autism research for decades: What, exactly, do the terms high- and low-functioning mean and to whom do they apply?

Australia's first autism biobank will open in Brisbane on Monday, paving the way for what researchers hope will lead to an earlier and more accurate diagnosis of the disorder.

Nearly 5,000 samples of blood, hair and urine, taken from autistic children, their parents and a control group, will be stored in freezers and could one day deliver the answers to what causes the condition.

Autism Queensland said parents typically raised concerns when their child was 12 months old, however in general they did not get diagnosed until at least two years later.

Left to languish in psychiatric institutions or drugged for disorders they never had, many older adults with autism were neglected or forgotten for decades. Efforts to help them are finally underway.

Certain groups of autistic people die 30 years younger than their peers, say charity Autistica, calling for an immediate review into autism deaths.

Premature deaths among autistic people are at “shocking levels” according to a charity report which found that certain groups with the condition die 30 years younger than the general population.

Half of all disability deaths in care over the past six years potentially could have been avoided, Queensland's public advocate has found in a damning review.

The landmark report warned of "catastrophic outcomes" if changes weren't made as the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme increased the load on disability services in coming years.

•  Michael Fitzpatrick 

Autism's premature mortality rate

Natasha Bita

Half a million school students have a disability or learning ­difficulty, according to confidential data that exposes a surge in the number of children needing extra help in class.